Obama appeals for return to 'civility'

Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, President Barack Obama appealed for a return to “civility” in politics, urging Americans to eschew personal and gratuitous political attacks.

Obama said American leaders are quick to unite in times of crisis, such as last month’s earthquake in Haiti. But when it comes to long-term problems, he said, lawmakers can become more motivated by ideology and the pursuit of power.

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“You can question my policies without questioning my faith — or, for that matter, my citizenship,” he said, a reference to persistent conspiracy theories about his national origins.

“We may disagree about the best way to reform our health care system, but surely we can agree that no one ought to go broke when they get sick,” Obama said. “We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it’s unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are.”

Speaking directly on the subject of prayer, Obama said it can “touch our hearts with humility.” Fusing that topic with his broader theme of civility, he quoted Martin Luther King Jr. — “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend” — and Abraham Lincoln: “We are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.”

Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow also participated in the breakfast.

This year’s event also drew controversy when an ethics group asked the president to boycott the breakfast over objections to the sponsor, The Fellowship Foundation.

In a letter to Obama and congressional leaders, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said The Fellowship Foundation has been “cultivating an unorthodox brand of Christianity amongst the political, military and economic elite of America.”